The invention relates to a flow regulator with a sleeve-shaped housing in which a flow regulation device is arranged that has deflectors oriented crosswise to the flow direction.
From German Patent DE-PS 30 00 799, a flow regulator of this general type is already known, which has a flow regulation device with a perforated plate and has a number of flow-through holes for the generation of separate streams. Connected after the perforated plate of this previously known flow regulator in the flow-through direction are an air suction device and a flow regulation device that has several flow regulator sieves. These flow regulator sieves each form a deflector arranged in the flow path crosswise to the flow direction.
The use of a larger number of flow regulator sieves is, however, costly. Also, the requirement is made of such flow regulators that calcification, especially on the flow regulator sieves which are most susceptible to it, be kept small. In the flow regulator previously known from German Patent DE-PS 30 00 799, the perforated plate is constructed in such a manner that it encourages a good flow distribution and the flow regulation sieve can be designed in an accordingly wide-meshed manner. For wide-meshed flow regulator sieves, the danger of blockage and calcification of these sieves through the water flowing through is thus comparably small.
In previously known flow regulators, the regulator sieves are mostly made out of metal, whereas the flow dispersion device is also constructed as a multiple component plastic part. In order to be able to insert the regulator sieves into the previously known flow regulators, the perforated plate functioning as a flow dispersion device could only be detachably mounted on the flow regulator housing, such that prior to the insertion of the perforated plate, the flow regulator sieves can be inserted into the inside of the housing and can be set on an inside ring flange arranged after one of the perforated plates in the flow direction. The multiple component embodiment of the previously known flow regulator and its manufacture from different materials comprises a cost that is not insignificant. Furthermore, the previously known flow regulator consisting of different materials can not be easily removed.
From European Patent EP 94 114 419, a flow regulator is also known in which the perforated plate is located after several cascades that surround each other in a ring shape, which on their side that faces the perforated plate, have pins oriented as flow obstructions opposing the flow direction. This previously known cascade flow regulator is, of course, also constructed as a multiple component, however, can be solely manufactured out of plastic material. Since this previously known flow regulator can thus no longer have any regulator sieves, calcification of this flow regulator can be effectively counteracted. The complicated expense of this flow regulator is disadvantageous, however, and the fact that a standard noise level can not always be ensured at large liter outputs are disadvantageous.
From U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,097, a flow regulator is already known that has individual parts arranged in the outlet nozzle of a sanitary outlet fitting. The previously known flow regulator has a flow dispersion device that has a inflow-side perforated plate with a few flow-through holes as well as a diffuser connected downstream in the flow direction. The diffuser, which functions for the air enrichment of the separate flows generated in the flow dispersion device, has a sleeve-shaped circumferential case, on the outlet-side front end of which, several pin-shaped deflectors project radially inwardly into the flow path. The flow dispersion device that consists essentially of the perforated plate and the diffuser is connected after a flow regulation device, which is manufactured from a star-shaped flat piece that is bent and inserted into the nozzle on the outlet side. The manufacture of this previously known flow regulator is, however, associated with a high cost through the individual components that are bent many times and manufactured from a correspondingly expensive material.